Silver Dragon Cane

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Masterpiece Cane Auction

By Kimball Sterling

May 24, 2025

Set Reminder 2025-05-24 11:00:00 2025-05-24 11:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Masterpiece Cane Auction https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/kimball-sterling/masterpiece-cane-auction-19479
A European Masterpiece Cane Auction Kimball Sterling kimballsterling@earthlink.net

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• Lot Description
  Ca 1880 Large, straight, and tapering silver handle profusely hand-chased and engraved with a dragon. The legendary creature features the classic, scaled, reptilian-like coiling body, powerful paws, sharp claws, and a large, fearsome head with characteristic horns, bulging eyes, long whiskers, and an open mouth with a stretched tongue. The background displays numerous circular discs suggestive of sky and clouds. The relief features exceptional depth and detail, accentuated by two calligraphed inscriptions of “Fu.” The one on the rounded, domed top was tentatively identified as “Blessing,” while the second inscription has yet to be determined. Known as Chinese Export Silver (CES), this handle belongs to the later period (1850-1890), characterized by Chinese-style pieces where European forms were adapted to Chinese tastes, featuring purely Chinese decoration that relied heavily on repoussé and chased work. The silver was commissioned or purchased by officials from trading companies, sea captains visiting treaty ports, diplomats, and other personnel who traveled to or were stationed in China. The silver reached the U.S. through sailing ships and, after 1867, on the steamers of the San Francisco-based Pacific Mail Steam Ship Company, along with other lines that transported passengers and freight to and from China. The weighty handle is further distinguished by its beautifully elongated proportions, making it an ideal fit for the hand. It comes with a scarred medlar shaft, stripped of its bark and displaying regular and tight protuberances, along with a brass ferrule featuring a long spike. The shaft is furthermore fitted with round eyelets and still retains its initial braided leather tassel. Marked by a powerful and subtle design with intricate and complex layering, this cane survived in excellent condition, preserving all its fine details. H. 4” x 1 ¼”, O.L. 38” $300-$400 Dragons embody the characteristics of the four elements: earth, air, fire, and water. They symbolize light and dark, the sun and the moon, masculine and feminine, and the unity beneath these opposing forces. The dragon has the wings of a bird and the scales of a snake or fish. It breathes fire and often protects a hoard of treasure in its lair. In the East and pre-Christian Europe, the dragon was viewed as helpful and kind—indeed, the red dragon is the emblem of Wales. However, Christianity, which regarded the serpent as a symbol of evil, also perceived the dragon as a creature of ill omen, representing destructiveness and inner chaos. The Chinese Dragon symbolizes the emperor, male energy, and fertility; it is a benevolent creature and the fifth animal in the Chinese zodiac. It guards the East and represents sunrise, spring, and rain, with torrential rain often referred to as dragon rain. There are four types of dragons in Chinese legend: Dragons of the air, the earth, the water, and the spirit.
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